Storage Tank

Bottom Protection
Using Volatile
Corrosion
Inhibitors
ASHISH GANDHI

Research and fieldwork show that volatile

corrosion inhibitors can protect the bottoms of
storage tanks used in the oil and petroleum industries.
These systems can be used in conjunction with the
traditional corrosion control method of cathodic
protection.

ever, problems arise when there is not

complete contact with the base. This
occurs as the bottom adjusts to the
tank being filled and emptied, causing
the bottom to buckle slightly and leave
air gaps. Other times, a portion of the
base may erode. In either case, electrical continuity is lost. Other means of
protection such as protective coatings
are not suitable because the coatings
are destroyed when the bottom plates
are welded together.
Research and field work show that
protection can be achieved using volatile corrosion inhibitors (VCIs) under
the tank. This works alone or in conjunction with CP.

Corrosion Problem
If general corrosion occurs in the
tank bottom, a suitable corrosion allowance can be built in. However, pitting corrosionwhere holes are literally drilled through thick steel
plateoften occurs instead.
In the past, minor product leakage
was acceptable. The cost of the product lost was not always great enough
to be a major concern. With todays environmental regulations, however,
leakage is a major concern. Vast
amounts of groundwater can be contaminated, and cleanup costs can
amount to millions of dollars. In extreme cases, the site is not salable on
the open market. Also, leaking tanks
jeopardize a companys positive public image.
Newer tanks are designed with secondary containment. Double bottoms
detect leakage, and concrete or membrane containment limits product migration. Similar problems occur in
older systems. VCIs are a suitable solution from both a technical and economic standpoint. These inhibitors
have a long history of corrosion protection under wet conditions, corrosive environments, and void spaces.

torage tank bottoms in the oil

and petroleum industries are
continuously threatened by
corrosive species and moisture present in the environment. When located near the
sea, the exposure to saline
heightens this problem. Supports and
tanks are exposed to exceptionally
high loads. For safety and environmental reasons, it is imperative that these
base supports and tank bottoms remain
safe, secure, and intact, unimpaired by
corrosion.
Storage tank bottoms have historiEven with detection and collection
cally been protected from corrosion using cathodic protection (CP). How- systems, corrosion protection still must

Corrosion Protection

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CORTEC CORP. Supplement to Materials Performance, January 2001

FIGURE 1
combinations. They are also incorporated into standard solvent- and waterbased paint formulations. Companies
including DuPont, Conoco Oil, IBM,
Motorola, General Motors, Exxon,
Mobil, Phillips Petroleum, and others
have incorporated these materials into
their standard specifications. Organizations such as the U.S. Navy and the U.S.
Air Force use this type of protection,
reducing expenses significantly compared to conventional preservation
methods.2 The Navy even has an active
program evaluating several VpCIs for
use in void spaces in ships.

Application to
Tank Bottom Protection

Double-steel-floor design with gravity drainnew tanks.

be addressed. Vapor corrosion inhibitors (VpCIs) have been used for many
years to solve the basic problem of protecting metal surfaces in a confined
space.
VpCIs are a subclass of corrosion
inhibitors that have been used by the
oil and chemical industries for more
than 50 years to minimize difficult corrosion problems. They volatilize at ambient temperature (vapor pressure
0.0001 mm Hg) and redeposit on metallic and other surfaces at equilibrium
in confined spaces. The inhibitor stops
or retards the corrosion mechanism. It
is adsorbed in a monomolecular layer.
Some compounds are specific for ferrous metals while others are effective
on both ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
A series of low-toxicity compounds
have been developed in the last 20
years,1 many being in the toxicity range
of table salt (2,000 to 3,000-mg/kg oral
LD-50). A key characteristic of these
materials is that they protect against
corrosion in the presence of water vapor, chlorides, hydrogen sulfide (H2S),
sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides,
and other compounds found in a corrosive industrial environment.

These newer VpCIs are being used

daily for successful protection. They
are produced and used in many forms:
pure powder, liquids, emitters used
in electrical and electronic applications, plastic films and paper used in
packaging, and lubricating oil/inhibitor

Several years ago, Conoco Oil published a paper on tank bottom protection presenting laboratory testing procedures with positive results.3 A given
quantity of VpCI was mixed with a
given volume of sand/gravel mix. Corrosion was monitored over a 2-year
period. Real-world experience in void
space protection over 15 years has con-

FIGURE 2

Retrofit of existing tank, joint detail for tank shell to floor with double-steel bottom.
Supplement to Materials Performance, January 2001 CORTEC CORP.

29

FIGURE 3
in during the withdrawal process. Ashland
Oil evaluated this application process in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by analyzing the
base for distribution after floor plate removal. Citgo Corp. has adopted another approach that select-injects a 5% solution of
VCI-609 in the underbottom sections of fuel
oil storage tanks at its Fort Lauderdale,
Florida, terminal.

Double Tank Bottom Protection

NEW INSTALLATIONS
After the first bottom is installed,
VpCI powder is spread at the rate of 1
to 2 kg/10 m2 (2 to 4 lb/100 ft2). Figure
1 shows typical construction. The
spacer and second bottom are then
welded in place.
EXISTING INSTALLATIONS
VpCI powder is carefully blown into
the void to provide uniform distribution
(Figures 2 and 3). Alternately, a VpCI solution may be pumped into the void and
either left or drained. Either method
provides corrosion protection.

References

Corrosion inhibitor dispensing system in combination with a petroleum reservoir and support pad
(patents pending).

firmed the long-term effectiveness of

this approach.
This type of protection is incorporated into standards for corrosion control of new and existing tank bottoms.
It has also been used in the void space
of double tank bottoms.

Tank Bottoms

a small amount vaporizes but condenses after the metal cools.

In the case of a concrete base, a
VpCI is applied to the surface or a
modified form is mixed into the wet
concrete. Several organizations have
evaluated the migration of this inhibitor extensively and found positive
results.4-7

NEW TANKS
After the subbase of sand/gravel is
spread, VpCI powder is applied at the
rate of 10 to 20 kg/100 m2 (2 to 4 lb/
100 ft2). It is mixed into the base with
simple hand tools. The tank bottom is
then laid out and fabricated as normal.
The VpCI slowly distributes itself uniformly throughout the base. At welds,

EXISTING TANKS
When tanks are being refurbished
and new bottom plates are welded in,
VpCIs are spread under the plate.
When possible, VpCIs are distributed
in the adjacent areas. They may also be
air lanced from the perimeter under
existing tanks, with the powder blown

30

CORTEC CORP. Supplement to Materials Performance, January 2001

1. B. Miksic, MSDS, VCI-307, VCI-609, Cortec

Corp. (St. Paul, MN), January 1995.
2. K.L. Vasanth, VCI Powders, NSWC (Louisville,
KY), 1995.
3. S.R. Rials, J.H. Kiefer, Evaluation of Corrosion
Prevention Methods for Aboveground Storage Tank
Bottoms, MP 32 (1993). U.S. and foreign patents pending.
4. V.A. Zarenin, A.B. Ostrovski, MCI 2000 Diffusion Rate Testing Report, Institute for Corrosion Protection Russian Federation (Moscow, Russia), August
2, 1993.
5. R.E. Weyers, et al., Concrete Bridge Protection
and Rehabilitation: Chemical and Physical Techniques,
Corrosion Inhibitors and Polymers, Strategic Highway
Research Program, National Research Council (Washington, DC), 1993.
6. Cortec Corp. correspondence to author, 1989.
7. C.G. Moore, B. Miksic, Instrumentation for Measurement of the Effectiveness of Vapor Corrosion Inhibitors, CORROSION/95 paper no. 490 (Houston, TX:
NACE, 1995).

ASHISH GANDHI is the Water Treatment and

Mothballing Sales Manager at Cortec Corp.,
4119 White Bear Pkwy., St. Paul, MN 55110.
He has a chemical engineering degree from the
University of Minnesota and is a member of
AIChE and NACE.